GIANTS NOTEBOOK / Giants show interest in Cardinals' Suppan

Might the Giants look toward St. Louis for another key player? Two years after signing former Cardinal Mike Matheny and one year after luring Matt Morris from the Gateway to the West, the club has expressed an interest in free-agent starter Jeff Suppan, his representative said Saturday.

Scott Leventhal said the Giants asked about Suppan during a discussion about another of his clients, center fielder Gary Matthews Jr., whom the club also plans to pursue.

"Jeff is from Southern California, an hour away. He has a comfort zone in California," Leventhal said. "I talked to Supe about his feelings about San Francisco, and it's something that's exciting to him."

The extent of the Giants' interest is unclear. They have talked to representatives of dozens of free agents over the last week to gauge the sincerity of their interest in coming to San Francisco.

Moreover, Suppan's postseason success, particularly in the National League Championship Series, combined with a scarcity of quality starters on the market, could drive his price beyond his true value and the Giants' means.

Nevertheless, the Giants must investigate starters in the trade and free-agent markets because of Jason Schmidt's expected departure. Which is not to say the team believes it needs to find an ace. Club sources said the emergence of Matt Cain as a potential No. 1 starter will steer the Giants toward middle-rotation pitchers.

As such, sources said, the Giants will not bid for high-priced Japanese star Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Suppan turns 32 on Jan. 2 and was 12-7 with a 4.12 ERA in 190 regular-season innings for the eventual World Series champs. He also has cemented his reputation as a solid postseason performer.

The Giants face keen competition for Matthews, a center fielder who hit .313 with a .371 on-base percentage and 69 extra-base hits in a breakout season. The Rangers want to re-sign Matthews, who has drawn interest from both Southern California teams, both Chicago teams and Boston.

Leventhal said he had a lengthy chat with the Giants last week about Matthews, who played for manager Bruce Bochy in San Diego. Matthews was born in San Francisco in 1974, when his father, Gary Matthews Sr., played for the Giants.

"Factor all that in, and really now it comes down to Gary getting a sense for the direction of the team," Leventhal said.

That could work against the Giants, who have more holes to fill than most of the other suitors. However, Leventhal said, "At this point, every team has its issues. Some teams are a few pieces away. Some are a little further away. It seems like all the teams that have reached out are in a position to get those missing pieces filled."